Peruvian blueberries could cover high demand in China
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He explained that while Peru is able to produce the fruit all year round, the production for export starts between September and November, a period when Chile and Argentina have not yet started their campaigns and the U.S. and Europe are finishing their harvests.
"This gives Peru a window of opportunity, since at that time there is nobody shipping blueberries and market prices are much higher than during the rest of the season," he said. Chile and North Korea alone are China's leading blueberry suppliers.
According to Fain, for the potential of Peru's blueberry industry to be successfully tapped into, product quality, infrastructure and logistics processes need to be strengthened.
The head of the Peru Berries National Programme for Sierra Exportadora, William Daga, said that of Peru's entire blueberry production (2,000 tonnes at the end of 2014), 95% is intended for export, with the U.S., Europe and Hong Kong as the major destinations. ■